Remember to Forget
by Selffie
Summary: Rikku, the former Gullwing, the former Guardian, the former Al Bhed princess, has vanished. When she reappears, will Gippal be able to bring back out her inner-child? GippalxRikku, R
1. Prologue

Disclaimer – I dun own jack crap. M'kay?

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The sun had set. The mist surrounding Macalania Woods slowly evaporated, only to be replaced with sheer darkness. The normally violet outlook of the sky had faded. The only light in the entire woods came from the silver path running across the forest's entirety. This light reflected off of the ponds, spreading itself. The forest was lit with an eerie and luminescent glow.

At one point these woods had been dying, but suddenly they had stopped. Macalania Woods was not getting better, nor was it getting worse. It was almost as if it had been frozen in time.

Through the silence a voice could be heard:

"_In my hair lies a circlet of tears,_

_On my chest lies a necklace of jade,_

_In my face hides a mask full of fears,_

_On this platter my wishes were laid."_

Other voices joined in:

"_Please hear us out, my dear_

_We will remain in this glade_

_As long as we are near_

_Our woods will not fade_

The chant ended. The woods were silent yet again.

A dismal voice whispered out, its words echoing throughout the forest:

"_If our voices you should hear... Run._

_This is our domain, our home, our secret."_


	2. Coping with Loss

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Disclaimer - Mhm, yeah, I don't own Final Fantasy.

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Chapter I - Coping with Loss

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Yuna's bedroom was nothing special. It didn't have much going for it - the room was devoid of anything personal. No family photos, no books, no decorations - if it wasn't for her guns lying on the counter, her room wouldn't have been recognizable by any factor besides location. The walls were bland, the carpet as well; her bedsheets were covered with a beautiful rose design. All in all, it could have easily passed as a guest room. Except for the noise. A soft crying could be heard coming from the closet.

Light leaked through the cracks of the closet door. Yuna squinted her eyes, burying them in her sleeves - the last thing she wanted to see right now was light. Her side ached; something sharp was poking her in the ribs. But it didn't matter. She wasn't getting up. Her stomach cramped up from sitting in one position for so long. Yuna head Tidus calling for her, but she didn't feel like talking right now. She wasn't leaving this closet, she needed to be _alone. _Couldn't they understand?

More tears slid down her cheeks as she wallowed in her grief. Yuna didn't ask for much, and she had been trying her hardest to be cheerful. But sometimes, a little breakdown should be allowed. She hadn't mourned for her cousin in almost a year. Well, at least not when anyone was awake to hear her. Painfully, she remembered the exact moment when she had found out her best friend, her cousin, was gone.

_Yuna had been sitting outside in Besaid, enjoying the breeze under the brilliant stars with her love, Tidus. Just like she did every single night since the day he returned. It was just like any other evening - it was special, she cherished it regardless of how many times she had sat there with him._

_Her portable CommSphere went off. Tidus was more annoyed at this than Yuna; he had specifically told everyone not to call unless it was an emergency. Besides, someone had to be annoyed - that left it up to him since Yuna never could be annoyed with anyone. _

_Save Leblanc, of course._

"_Hello?" _

"_..Yuna." It was Paine._

"_Hey Paine, need something?"_

"_..." The warrior made no move to answer._

"_What is it?" Why did she call so late?_

"_Rikku said she was coming to visit," Paine stated. _

"_Yeah? She left about two days ago for Bevelle. Isn't she there?" The ex-summoner was starting to get worried._

"_No. She never showed up."_

"_..What..?" The fact had yet to register in her brain. In fact, it didn't for nearly a week._

**Yuna's POV **

Tidus, Paine, Cid... Everyone searched Spira for the Al Bhed, but no one could find her. Cid was devastated; he closed all contact with Paine after that. I guess he blamed her for losing his only daughter. I know Paine feels guilty, but it wasn't her fault. It's not like she knew her friend would disappear.

It's been nearly a year and a half since Rikku has been gone. It took me months to get out of the habit of having her wake me up every morning. She was such a cheerful girl, full of spunk and energy; it's no surprise she was always the first one up. I had been so confused the first few weeks when she wasn't there to wake me up. There was no one singing out, 'Wakie, wakie Yuna! Time to set sail!' every morning.

And it's not like this is the first time I've had to cope with loss. It's strange, you think I would be better at dealing with it after all I've been through. But through it all, there had always been Rikku. She just _was_ - we never worried about her disappearing; how could someone who has always been around just vanish? Maybe we had started to take her for granted... Maybe this was our punishment. And I swear it, I'll never take another soul for granted ever again.

**End POV **

**---**

"Yo Tidus, watch out man!" Wakka yelled in the blonde's direction. Tidus turned around just in time to pound the oncoming Blitz ball into the ground.

"Sorry about that. I sort of spaced," Tidus gave off a fake grin. Wakka just shook his head and went back to coaching the Besaid Aurochs. As he left, Tidus's grin faded, only to be replaced with a frown. He worrily glanced down the road, in the direction of Yuna's hut.

She had been getting worse and worse lately, though she'd never admit that to anyone. He knew she was hurt, but life had to go on.

_'I know Yuna's as far from selfish as anyone could get, but she hasn't realised that there are other people that at hurting. She isn't alone, and she won't let anyone help her.'_

Just as his friendship with a certain Al Bhed female was being restored to its former glory, she had vanished. In a way, he wasn't worried. He had disappeared himself, and look where he was! But Rikku wasn't a dream. She didn't have secrets. She wasn't special.

_'Ouch. That was... cold. I'm sorry Rikku,' Tidus thought. 'You were my first friend here, I didn't mean to think that...'_

Something had to be done about Yuna. He couldn't bear to see her heart broken and in pain - it just made everything worse. Somehow he'd figure out some way to cheer her up. In high spirits, Tidus returned to blitz ball practice, spiking Datto right in the face.

---

Gippal restlessly paced in his office. Paperwork was sloppily strewn over his desk, and machina parts littered the floor. Normally he'd be at work, but the man just couldn't concentrate. Lady Yuna had visited a couple hours ago, checking up on old friends; making sure everyone was alright. That was typical of her, but she seemed more depressed than any of them. She had looked so worn out, so faded. And Gippal knew it was because of her.

Because of Rikku.

At this thought, pain violently coursed through his veins, gripping his heart. His buried feelings for Rikku had just started to be rekindled when she just up and left. No note, no goodbye - nothing. She could be dead and no one would know a damn thing.

_'No, no... She can't be dead. I need her, I-'_ Gippal stopped that train of thought. Laughing at his antics, he shrugged off those unwanted feelings. He was Gippal, after all: the Machine Faction leader, the ladies' man. He had a different girl _every week._ _'It's because Yuna needs her, thats the only reason I care,' _Gippal reasoned with himself. Besides, Rikku was his childhood friend, she couldn't be dead... She just couldn't...

Gippal laughed at himself yet again. Why was he even thinking about this? He had work to do, after all.

With that, the Machine Faction leader sat down at his desk, stacks of unwanted papers and files waiting patiently to be dealt with.

---

"Brother, get your lazy ass over here!" Cid yelled across the hall of the cabin, these comments directed towards his last child.

Muttering curses in Al Bhed, Brother stepped out of his room. Cid nearly keeled over from laughter; his son didn't look anything like the old Brother he had raised. His old mohawk was gone, and he was bald; Cid had forced him to shave it off. Brother's tattoos were completely covered by clothing, and he was fully decked in a brown business suit.

"Whhyyy must I beee in this?!" Brother whined.

Cid grimaced. "Because, ya ninny, yer my only child left; you gotta take over after me. I'm not gonna leave a pathetic excuse for a son in charge! He grabbed Brother by the ear and dragged him away.

_'Rikku, my darling, my daughter... Wherever you are. Please come back to us.'_

---

_**24 hrs. Later**_

---

_"Caryn, I've been subtle, rude, and even offensive." Jessica interrupted. "Now it's time for direct." She met Caryn's delicate blue eyes with a glacier-cold glare. "I don't care if you think vampires exist. I don't want to talk about it, just like I don't want to chat about combination lockers or anything else. I don't want to talk to you at all. Do you understand?"_

Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzzt.

Yuna dropped her book on the couch and went over to the CommSphere.

"Yuna speaking," She had been interrupted again. Can't a girl get a little escape time?

"Hello Lady Yuna," Baralai's face flickered on the CommSphere. He looked awefully worried. "I have urgent news,"

"What is it, Baralai?" Yuna's eyebrows creased. '_Uh-oh.'_

"It is imperative that you come to Bevelle immediately. I have already arranged a place for you to stay,"

"What...?"

"I've also taken the liberty of contacting everyone this may or may not effect. I trust you will be on your way as soon as possible."

There was a click and the screen went static. Almost as soon as Baralai had ended the call, Tidus and Wakka burst through her front door.

"Yuna..." Tidus was prepared to continue when Wakka rudely interrupted him.

"Does she always leave her doors unlocked..?" Tidus glared at the red haired blitzer.

Turning back to Yuna, he noticed that she was even more anxious than usual. "What is it?"

Yuna stood up straight and looked him in the eyes. "We have to leave. Now."

Wakka looked extremely uncomfortable. "To Bevelle, ya?"

Yuna's eyes veered towards him. "You have spoken with Baralai too?"

"Ya... that's why we left blitz ball practice early," he admitted. Putting a shoulder around Yuna, Wakka said, "Well, let's get packin' then."

---

The excerpt was from Demon In My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, page 37.

And I know this was kind of short; there will be a Gippal/Rikku story in later chapters.


	3. Found You

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX-2  
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Thaaaaaaaaankies Black-Eyed Mistress for being my first reviewer 3 3 3 3 3

-- Bevelle, Screening Chamber --

They had been waiting for nearly an hour for Baralai to greet them. Yuna was agitated; nothing ever stayed peaceful in Spira for more than a few years, it seemed. As if sensing her confused emotions, Tidus gently placed his hands on her shoulders, whispering words of comfort into her ear.

The Screening Chamber had a vaulted ceiling, cream colored walls and maroon curtains decorating the interior. The majority of the room was circular, save the north wall, which was flat. On this wall was a giant screen, taking up the entirety of it. A little ways away sat a high glass table, and atop of it, a sphere. The rest of the room was bare, save for a small table housing liquid refreshments; there was no where for the guests to sit. All in all, the colors added to a comforting atmosphere. But not comforting enough to keep you from being aware of what was happening.

Paine leaned on a wall in the far side of the room, gazing around with a concerned look in her eyes. Gippal lazily walked around the chamber, obviously eyeing the drinks. Tidus and Yuna stood near the entrance, glancing up at the screen and taking in the contents of the room.

_'Paine, Nooj, Leblanc, Gippal, Lulu, Wakka... This might be serious. Or maybe, just personal...?' _Yuna shifted her weight to one foot.

Noticing the final guests' presence, Leblanc sauntered over to the couple. "Hello, loves," She smiled, waiting for a response. When none came, she continued, "What do you think Baralai wants, hmmm? He and Noojie have been here for hours now; I'm glad for some company, however small," Leblanc gave another sickening sweet smile to Tidus, who glared at her.

Pinching him for being rude, Yuna asked, "Nooj has been here for hours? Did you hear anything? I hope Spira isn't in danger again..."

Leblanc giggled. "Oh, no no, love. I think it has something to do with a project Baralai was overseeing, but I can't be sure. Noojie wouldn't let me into the meeting," She looked a little distressed about this.

"He wants us to see the sphere," Paine had moved behind Yuna, listening in on the conversation. She paused for a moment. "If it's so dreadfully important, he should have been here an hour ago."

"Quit complainin', Dr. P." Gippal grinned from the far side of the room, making Paine narrow her eyes. "Heh... Guess we'll have to wait and see what's in it."

"Care for some refreshments?"

All eyes snapped toward Baralai, who had entered through a fairly well hidden door. He slowly made his way toward the drinks. Offering a cup to Gippal, he said, "Sorry I kept you all waiting; there was some business I had to attend too." When his old friend hesitated in accepting the drink, Baralai laughed. "Don't worry; it's quite healthy. Sugarless, in fact."

"Calorie free, artificial flavoring, and cancer-in-a-glass. No thanks, I'll pass." Gippal smirked.

"Since when did you become a healthy eater?" Paine muttered.

"Are we ready to get down to business?" Baralai interrupted. The majority of the guests nodded solemnly, save Paine, who was glaring at Baralai, Nooj, who had found something interesting to stare at on the ceiling, and Leblanc, who was steadily gazing at Nooj.

As this was as much attention that Baralai was bound to ever get, he continued. "Ever since New Yevon and the Youth League have allied, business in Bevelle has been steadily increasing. Spirans are flocking there, since it is now the allied headquarters. It has lost much of its religious atmosphere. We have been steadily running out of available living space. Some of my advisors suggested that I had some land cleared out." The praetor paused. "I have given a grant to begin the process of removing Macalania Woods, which will-"

"You what?" Lulu hissed, interrupting him.

Yuna stepped forward, looking Baralai in the eyes. "You are cutting down the Woods..?"

"What the hell would that possibly benefit?" Paine snapped.

"I- well- they were going to die out anyway," the praetor lamely finished. Judging by his tone of voice, Baralai wasn't quite sure of his actions either.  
Nooj stayed unwavering in the background, silent and unaffected by the news. He had obviously known about the situation before hand.

"How could you do that, you stupid, ignorant _idiot!_" Leblanc spat out, earning herself a disappointed glare from Nooj.

"Leblanc, if you are going to sit there and shout insults at me, you may leave." He calmly stated. Leblanc made no move to leave. "I oversaw the operation myself, in case there were any... unnatural disturbances." Baralai added, more confident.

Tidus and Wakka looked at each other and sneered at this remark. "Which there were..." Baralai added quietly.

Silence encompassed the chamber.

Moving slowly toward the lone sphere, Baralai activated it. "This was taken on the second operation of clearing out Macalania Woods. It was recorded by one of my assistants, a man named Leije."

---

_Leije rode on a hoover, a little ways away from the main machina, recording mainly Baralai's. From what had happened on the last operation, Praetor Baralai had insisted upon catching a recording of everything that went on._

_The main machina was about twenty feet high, decked in red and black paint. The body of the machine was roughly circular, with the front being covered by five inches of bullet proof glass. Through this you could see a few of the drivers, and beside them stood Baralai. He looked a little worse for wear, considering the circumstances. Two rather large metal arms stuck out from the sides, huge razors at the end of the limbs. Behind the main machina trailed three smaller versions of the original. _

_The machina advanced toward the prussian trees, branches intertwined with one another. The blades met wood; the sickening screech of the blades tearing through the trees echoed throughout the vast forest. A loud thump, and the razors stopped. One down._

---

Yuna could hardly breath; she just couldn't take it. Her thoughts were chopped up, she couldn't even form sentences. _'So many memories... recklessly destroyed... just trees... but the memories?... Our first kiss... cut down like lumber...'_

_---_

_Al Bhed workers were mainly present; they handled machina with ease, and had little attachment to these woods. Non Al Bheds had been reluctant to work on the destruction of Macalania Woods, and the Al Bheds were willing to do it for less pay, too. They were a little shocked when one of their own threw herself into the path of the blades._

_"Please stop! Please..."_

_Yelling and screaming could be heard from within the machina, the commotion temporarily stopping the work. The blades came to a halt inches from the woman's face. _

_Distant voices in Al Bhed could be heard: "Is she crazy?"_

_"Who is that?"_

_"Arrest her!"_

_A woman could be heard sobbing in the background. "Please, I don't think I c-can fix anymore damage. Not by myself!"_

_Baralai attempted to exit the main machina as quickly as possible. Reaching the ground, he approached what apparently seemed to be an Al Bhed woman from far away._

_"Miss," Baralai called out; the woman turned to flee. As he got closer, he noticed that although she was blonde and tan skinned, the lass had curly hair. An unusual trait for an Al Bhed, if that's what she was. Her hair flowed down her back, reaching roughly the middle. She seemed to be attired in a pale yellow dress, which seemed to be made of a very strange material. Grabbing the woman's shoulder, Baralai felt the dress. It was made of... flower petals? He roughly turned her around to face him._

_"Miss, please wait-" He stared in to a large pair of Al Bhed eyes. Or, what he once assumed to be Al Bhed eyes. But they weren't green anymore. They were silver._

_It was Rikku._

---

Baralai paused the sphere and looked around the chamber. The silence stretched. Everyone stared at the screen, not making a sound. Yuna was completely baffled. _'Rikku? Could it be? That didn't look like her. She didn't look Al Bhed! Since when has she cared about Macalania Woods? Why were her eyes silver? Why was she wearing that? Why did she just disappear? Why did she sound so solemn, and look so serious? Why didn't she tell us she wasn't dead?'_


	4. Chased and Spied

_Disclaimer: I dun own FFX-2 o_

_---_

_Baralai took a moment to catch his breath. This was far from the old Rikku he remembered from so long ago, the Rikku that had vanished without a trace._

_Her hair was curly, full of ringlets that flowed down past her shoulders. Two neatly dun buns sat atop her hair, ending in two little curls. She was clothed in what seemed to be rather large pale yellow flower petals. The sleeveless dress started below her arms, and ended above her knees, looking much like a flower bud. Starting at her elbows were separate petal sleeves that loosely billowed out. On her feet were petal slippers matching her dress. _

_"R-Rikku..?" Baralai stuttered at her._

_The woman blinked at him. She pushed her face closer to his and widened her swirling silver eyes. "You didn't see me..." Rikku whispered. Backing up a few feet, something glittering, transparent, and gossamer rose and fluttered behind her._

_---_

"_Wings_?" Gippal shrieked in a disbelieving tone. "What the hell?"

"Will you _please _be quiet?" Paine glared at him.

_---_

_Her wings starting beating at nearly the speed of a Hummingbird's, raising the girl into the air. Rikku smiled that all-knowing smile at Baralai, as if daring him to chase after her._

_Then, **whoosh**! She was off, Baralai instinctively trailing after her. Leije sped up the hoover and caught up with Baralai. Grabbing him by the shirt and hurling him onto the hoover, the two men kept pace with Rikku, who would have easily lost them on foot. Right, left, left, right, under the branches, through a bush, over a midair silver path._

_Content that she had lost Baralai a while ago, Rikku came to a standstill, hoovering over a shimmering violet lake, trees towering above her. While Rikku was catching her breath, Baralai jumped off of the hoover, edging his way closer to the lake, stopping a few feet away and concealing himself behind a bush. Leije moved the hover (Only Yevon knows why the noise hadn't alerted Rikku to their presence -.-;) back a ways, zooming the sphere in on the lake._

_Rikku took a deep breath and sighed. Clutching her head in both of her hands, she muttered, "This is bad. Bad, bad, baa-aad!" Her voice rose to a shriek, and she attempted to stomp her foot in midair, causing her to fall forward. "What am I gonna tell the others...?" Silence filled the Woods as she glanced around._

_"WHROAR!" A hyperactive voice cried out, just as a figure popped out of the lake, jump tackling Rikku and nearly soaking her in the process. Rikku glared at the other girl, noting that she was already almost completely dry. The Macalanian girl had a long orange bob, bright silver eyes and a wreath of flowers on her head. She had a silk dress, covered by pink flower petals and some leaves, quite different from Rikku's. _

_Rikku sighed again and shook her head at the antics of the other Macalanian child. "Cherri... Ugh."_

_Cherri blinked at her, playfully pushing her and flying around a bit. "What is it, Ri-Ri?"_

_"Stop playing around. I've got some baaad news for you guys," Rikku informed the curious girl. There was silence for a moment, and then Cherri responded, "Pssh. We already **know **that, we're not that dull. Anyone with a brain would have noticed that someone's been trying to destroy the woods. I'm just glad they didn't start on my part of Macalania Woods; I don't want to be the first one to die." There was another pause as Rikku glared at Cherri. "It was your section, wasn't it?"_

_"Well, no duh, Cherri. I've been scared to death, jump tackled, soaked, chased, and nearly **killed **within one afternoon!" Rikku hissed. "Wouldn't **you **be in a pretty awful mood, too?"_

_"Yeah, I guess so," Cherri looked around for her other two companions, quickly losing interest. "You can't blame them, though. Those stupid Spirans didn't know that they'd be killing you, too. I mean, they don't even know about us."_

_Rikku glanced in the direction where Cherri's attention was currently placed. Two girls floated towards the lake, both looking more than a bit perturbed. "That's everyone..." She muttered._

_One of the girls had dark red hair, held up by a yellow flowered clip in a pony tail sort of fashion. Two bangs framing her face went down a little past her chin. She wore a white petal skirt, ending at her knees, a green leafed belt holding it up. Her top was a white silken petal blouse, ending just above her belly button, also trimmed with little green leafs. The other girl had a sleeveless dress that started tight and ended in a loose petal design. The dress was a mixture of light and dark blue petals, and she wore knee high silk blue petal boots. Her shining hair was black and straight, ending before her waist._

_"How did I know you two would be over here?" the redhaired one smirked. _

_"Shhh, Synea," the black haired girl silenced her friend. "Someone's watching us," She faintly glanced around, her eyes temporarily landing in the direction of Baralai's hiding spopt, causing him to duck lower. _

_"Ahaha... Why would you think that? Whatever, Mihyn, yer just imagining it," Rikku looked uncomfortable. "They've done it again, you guys."_

_Synea looked startled. "They continued with another operation?"_

_"And I thought we scared them off for good the first time," Mihyn commented._

_"Are they trying to kill us off for good?" Cherri asked, worried._

_""We've gotta stop them, I knew they were trouble-," Synea started._

_"Let's blow 'em up!" Mihyn interrupted._

_"YEA!" the red head eagerly agreed._

_"Let's NOT blow them up," Cherri glared at the two, who looked extremely disappointed. She turned to Rikku. "Ri-Ri, what's wrong? Why have you been so quiet?" The three girls' eyes snapped on the blonde._

_"No... I mean, it-it's nothing," Rikku had zoned out. _

_"You met someone you used to know, didn'tcha?" Mihyn looked fairly interested. _

_"No! It's no one, never met him in my life," She denied, obviously not realizing she gave the fact that she HAD met someone away. _

_"What do you mean you haven't met me?" Baralai loudly asked, clearly offended by her remark. "Oh, shit. I didn't say anything. I don't exist. Ignore me," He attempted to pretend he was a tree._

_"What? Who is that?" Synea asked, worried. The girl flew over to where the noise had come from, the others following meekly behind her. She pushed back a few branches and saw a certain white haired, tan skinned praetor._

_"You led someone here, Rikku?!" Mihyn hissed at her._

_"N-no! I thought I lost him, honest," She let out her famous puppy dog eyes, which had gone unused for nearly a year; she didn't exactly need them anymore._

_"I am a lot faster than you give me credit for, Rikku," Baralai stepped out into a clearing, his chest swelling with pride._

_"Oh please," Cherri sneered. "You **couldn't **have chased her on foot; you must have gotten here somewhere," She looked around. Finally a certain machine engine was noticed, whose presense had gone quite unnoticed until now. _

_Rikku turned towards the direction in which Cherri was looking. A rusty looking hoover floated about ten feet away, facing their direction. Riding it was a young man with spiked brown hair, nice tan skin and deep light green eyes. He was muscular to an extent, but not to the point of disgusting some people out._

_After staring at the man for a moment longer than necessary, Rikku noticed a certain object in his hands, which he had put down when she had noticed him. A sphere. That was currently recording._

_"YOU'VE BEEN TAPING ME? TURN THAT THING OFF!" She screamed at him._

_"Errr... Sorry..." Leije whispered into the sphere, before turning it off. _

---

The screen went static. Everyone was silent, and had a blank expression, save for Gippal; he looked a bit peeved.

---

Errr yeah as for Leije think Cloud with brown hair and less muscular XD


	5. Secrets

**Yeah, sorry about all the new characters, but the only important OC here will be Leije. nudge, nudge, wink, wink Also, I know Rikku is a bit OOC, she's SUPPOSED to be x.x. That's kind of the point of the story, Gippal helpin' her get back IC >.-  
And sorry about everything being so confusing, just rememeber the other characters are uberly confused too. Maybe this chaper will help clear everything up? prays that it will**

---  
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. sob  
---

"Well?" Paine interrupted the ongoing silence.

Baralai gave his old friend an odd look. "Well what?"

"What happened afterwards?"

"..Nothing," the praetor responded.

"Nothing, eh?" Tidus sighed. "So basically, you and that camera guy jumped into the hoover and got the hell out of there?"

Baralai nodded. "Her little...friends _were_ looking quite murderous," he added as an afterthought.

The room fell quiet again while everyone was left with his our her own fears and doubts. Yuna eventually broke down, voicing her own thoughts out loud.

"That's a fake," She let the words sink in. "It's not Rikku... That-that couldn't have been her! What the hell is going on...?!" Tears started to well up in her eyes; she _hated _being so alone and confused. She hated being left out in the dark.

Tidus stared at Yuna, eyes shining with love and empathy and genuine concern. "Yuna, be calm. I'm positive that Rikku is fine," he whispered to her.

"Well, she's got a whole lot of explaining to do," Paine stated in her usual I-don't-give-a-damn monotone voice.

Leblanc sauntered over to Yuna and sympathetically patted her on the arm. "Well, love, maybe someone close to the girl could explain everything,"

"I thought _I _was close to her, Leblanc, but apparently I was wrong," Yuna hissed back at her, anger and confusion overriding reason.

Nooj cleared his throat, causing Leblanc to forget Yuna's comment and Yuna's anger to dissolve. With everyone's attention focused on him, he spoke: "I'm sure Rikku is a _very_ nice girl, but we don't have time to worry about her. There are more important matters to attend to."

"Huh?" Wakka looked confused, but silenced himself almost immediately. Nooj scared him and he didn't know half of these people very well.

"Rikku is currently being charged with vandalism," Baralai responded to Wakka's lost puppy look.

"_Vandalism?" _Yuna asked incredulously.

"Vandalism of the machina on the operation site. I've sent Lieje to take her into custody, since she has met him before, and may be easier to cooperate with."

Glancing around the chamber, Baralai's eyes fell on Gippal, who had been attempting to inconspicuously exit the Screening Chamber. Gippal had stopped to listen to the latest news, drawing unwanted attention to himself.

"Where you off to?" A faint smile curved on Paine's lips.

"No where," he stated a little too quickly. "Say, uh, Baralai, how ago did you send that guy to Macalania Woods?"

"A few hours ago, I believe. Why?"

"Ah, nothing. I would have _loved _to see the look on Cid's girl's face when she hears of the charges," Gippal grinned. '_If she's even the same girl,' _he silently thought to himself.

"...Cid!" Tidus sneered, oblivious to the previous conversation.

"What?" Yuna and Paine simultaneously asked.

"If anyone kenw what was going on with Rikku, it would be Cid." Yuna just stared at him. "Uh, he's her father..." Tidus reminded her, recieving an 'Oh yeah!' look from Yuna.

"I can hook up a CommSphere to the screen, if you'd like," Baralai offered, eager to be helpful.

"That'd be great, we really should contact him... I wonder if he knows that we've located his only daughter?" Yuna wondered out loud.

"Oh, yes, and Gippal, I'd like you to stop by the operation site and take a look at the machina. I hope that they aren't beyond repair..." Baralai may as well have been conversing with a wall, because Gippal was long gone.

---

"I told you already, I am _not _going with those greasy, nasty engineer people, and I am _not _going to face any 'charges'," Rikku sneered and leaned against a branch, smugly resting atop a tree.

"..." Leije remained silent for a second. "Look, did you or did you not destroy our machina?" The man was clearly exasperated.

"Well no duh, I did. Who the hell else would have bothered?" On a side not to herself, she whispered, "Actually, Synea and Mihyn did most of it..." She glanced up past a few trees; the two girls were currently hiding and spying on them. Sighing, she returned her gaze to the man. "I've got a lot on my mind right now, so back off."

Leaning against a tree opposite to her, the man looked faintly concerned. "Is it about your cousin, Lady Yuna? Or praetor Baralai?"

"..Not exactly."

"Well hey," Leije grinned and sat down, still leaning on the tree, "I'll listen." This produced a snort from Rikku.

"No, seriously. Just think of me as your.. Uh... psychologist,"

"Oh, I see, so now I'm a nut case?" She smiled in spite of herself.

"Well, I _was _under the impression that you were Al Bhed..." Normally that comment would have _really _gotten under her skin, but now...

"I thought I was..." She whispered.

"I'm listening," Leije looked up at her.

After nearly two years of hiding out in Macalania Woods and keeping everything inside with no one to confide in, Rikku nearly burst with joy at the prospect of sharing her experiences with someone. After all, she really wasn't one to act antisocial, or at the very least, shy. Rikku found herself pouring her heart out to this stranger, who would listen instead of talk, commend instead of chastise.

"Well, first of all," her eyes glittered, "I'm not really Al Bhed."

---

"Why would I know what's goin' on with my missing daughter?" Cid said, his face projected onto the screen. "I haven't spoken with her since-"

"Her official disappearance," Yuna quickly finished, in an annoyed tone. "You've said that nearly five times now." She had explained the contents of the sphere to him several times, but her uncle merely brushed off all questions and feigned ignorance. But because of the look on his face, and his nervous disposition, Yuna could sense that there was something vital that he wasn't telling them.

Silence.

"Enlighten us, Cid. We know you know," Paine glared at the screen.

"Know_ what?" _

Paines eyes just narrowed more in response. A staring contest ensued between the two for a few minutes before Cid broke down.

"In the name of Home, that girl coulda stared down Sin himself and sent him runnin' back to his mama." Cid shivered. Solemn-ing up quite a bit, the Al Bhed leader lowered his voice. "I don't know much, but what I do know could prove useful. Y'see, Delila, my wife, and I adopted the girl when she was just a wee bit over three,"

"_Bull,"_ Yuna interjected, her voice frantic. "My mother was there when she was born, I remember visiting, growing up with her..."

Cid examined his niece carefully. "That wasn't the same little girl, Yuna."

---

"You were _adopted?" _Leije's eyes widened, he seemed interested; Rikku noted how immensely green his eyes really were.

"Not just adopted. I was a replacement," her voice dripped with venom. Leije waited for Rikku to continue; when she didn't, he urged her on.

"How did you find out you were adopted? I'd take it that Cid didn't just sit you down one day and explain it to ya."

Oh, did she remember! Rikku would never forget that day, not in a million years. It was almost like she was there now...

_Her mother had been dead a month now. A whole month, thirty never ending, empty, meaningless days. Her siblings were coping well enough, but she wouldn't move. Her daily activities consisted of sleeping, her father forcing food down her throat, and more sleeping. Cid had been extremely worried; he had never seen his little Rikku so down before. She had always been his lovely cheerful little angel. But, she had mentioned wanting to see her mother one last time..._

_So there they were, sneaking into Guadosalam, stopping at the entrance to the farplanes. Her fifteenth birthday was only a couple days away, and this was his gift to her. Rikku was as excited as she was devastated, as nervous as she was calm._

_The two entered the circular area, gazing out into the hazy sky, the trembling waterfalls._

_"Think of your mother," Cid whispered into Rikku's ear. And so she did, her mother's form appearing above, floating in the dead air. But another figure appeared, for Cid's own thoughts had drifted to someone long gone._

_In the mother's arms was a little wiry girl, swirling green eyes and a mop full of blonde hair. The mother hugged her, tickling the three year old child, causing her to giggle._

_The girl looked exactly like Rikku._

_The older Rikku turned to stare at Cid with wide, startled eyes. "Who is that?" She whispered. When Cid made no move to answer, she pushed him further. "Did I have a twin, pops? ...Did she... die?"_

_"Rikku, Rikku, Rikku..." Cid leaned against the railing, sighing and staring at his deceased family. "Hun, I want to be straight up with you, truthful, no more secrets. That," he pointed to the happy little girl," Is my first daughter. My _real _daughter. Her name was Rikku... She died in an accident involving complications with a machina and a sandstorm." The man grimaced. "We adopted you and named you after our dead daughter. As a replacement," he added quietly._

_---_

"I can't believe you told it to her like that," Yuna commented distantly.

Cid looked annoyed. "Yeah, well, wha'd you expect?"

Paine had a look of concern in her eyes, which were usually devoid of emotion. "How'd Rikku react?"

Cid merely shrugged. "How any teenager would have, I guess. She basically screamed that I lied to her, that I was a horrible father, that she hated herself, that she was nothing, and so on. She left Home shortly after that, leading some godforsaken excavation near Baaj temple," Cid finished up.

"And so she met Tidus..." Yuna muttered, mainly to herself.

_'No wonder she didn't want to enter the farplanes,'_ Tidus thought, remembering Rikku's comment: 'Memories are nice, but that's all they are.' How would the others have reacted, seeing a little girl with the same face as Rikku, floating above them in the farplanes?

"But wait." Tidus spoke. "How is it that she looked exactly like your old daughter?"

Cid didn't respond immediately, he wasn't exactly sure how that had happened. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, allowing old memories to consume him.

_It was their anniversary, Delila and his. After the traumatic death of their daughter, Rikku, Cid's wife had begged him to get away from Home for a bit. The two had reported their daughter missing, but Delila had refused to acknowledged that her daughter was actually dead. Because of this denial, they had yet to publicly announce the death of their only daughter._

_Anyhow, Delila had repeatedly requested to visit Macalania Woods, a holy and sacred place, almost completely disconnected from the majority of Spira. There they were, walking along the silver path, up through the Prussian trees. The two held hands, exchanged a few words, but were mainly left with their own thoughts._

_Then they saw her._

_She was curled up, eyes closed sweetly, back lying against a giant, glowing moonstone. The child had a remarkable likeness to-_

_"Rikku...!" Delila dropped Cid's hand and stumbled towards the sleeping child. As Delila wept and hugged the little girl, who's eyes snapped open, Cid noted that she wasn't quite the same as their old little girl. But then - Pyreflies swarmed around the child, and into her body. Her silver eyes turned green, her curled hair fell limp._

_Delila turned to face Cid, clasping the child like it was her lifeline. "It's Rikku, honey," she sobbed._

_Cid looked extremely uncomfortable. "Rikku is dead."_

_"No, no, don't you see? We found her, now we can report that she's been found, she really has, she has... Oh Rikku, my baby, my darling..." Delila stroked the girl's hair, tears streaming down her face. _

_She never admitted, or believed for that matter, that Rikku was not her real daughter. Not even on her dying day._

_---_

"So, you don't know who your real parents are?" Leije casually asked Rikku.

Rikku just laughed, no humor in her tone. "I have no real parents. These," she waved her hands all around her at the trees, "These Woods gave me life, and they can just as easily take it away. I was born here, to replace someone, because the forest _pitied _her. My mother."

Leije remained quiet again, for a moment. "So the other three of those, uh, flying chicks, they were born from the forest too?"

Rikku rose an eyebrow. "...Yes."

Leije laughed. "You know, I heard from Baralai that you were a cheerful gal. Fun-loving, playful, a bit immature at times, but always full of energy. Not exactly the brightest girl in Spira, but-"

"Your point...?" Rikku cut him off.

"Well, you might want to be cautious when you get reacquainted with your cousin, and whoever the hell else. They may not be ready to accept this... Uh, 'new' Rikku,"

The girl rolled her eyes and snorted. "Oh, thanks, I'll lock that awa-"

"C-Cid's girl..?"

Rikku froze. She turned around to face her old crush, best friend, and tormentor all rolled into one.


	6. Meetings and Old Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX-2 -

---

**hugs reviewers**

---

"Hello… Gippal," Rikku said as calmly as she could.

Leije had managed to hide before the newly arrived Machine Faction leader had noticed him. Gippal calmed himself, he hadn't been sure that it really was Rikku. "Oh, it IS you, Cid's girl," He smirked, waiting for her usual reaction to his nick name, 'I have a name, ya know!'. But it never came. _'I was afraid of this…'_ he thought. 'I was afraid that she had changed…'

Roughly grabbing the girl by the shoulders, Gippal hissed, "You've been here all this time, haven't you? We all thought you were… were… Rikku how could you do this to everyone? To your friends? Why?"

Rikku just stared at him, torn between pushing him away and crying on his shoulder. "I have my reasons," she answered carefully.

Gippal snorted, disbelieving, his grip tightening. "Riiiiight. How can you be like this? Don't you care about anyone else besides yourself?"

"I…" She paused. "What are you doing here?" Rikku asked, avoiding his question.

"Heh," Gippal's grip on her loosened and he strutted a few feet away in his usual cocky manner. "I was sent to bring you back,"

"Pffft," Leije stepped out from behind the trunk of a tree. "I believe that was my job. And that's no way to treat a lady," he smirked.

Shocked, Gipal sent a suspicious and questioning look in the other man's direction. "I think you came of your own accord," Leije added.

While the Machine Faction leader was busy glaring death in Leije's direction, Rikku cleared her throat. "It doesn't matter who was sent to get me. I'm sorry to inform the both of you, but I am not going anywhere."

Gippal just laughed at her, causing Rikku to frown and narrow her eyes. "If you don't come, Yuna will take it personally. And you don't wanna get on a superstar's bad side, do you?"

Something rustled, and Rikku watched Leije take a long off white cloak out of his sack. "Uh, what's that for, exactly?" She asked, curious.

"To cover – that is- uh, your wings, ehm… They're liable to stand out," Leije stuttered. "What an insight," Sarcasm leaked through Gippal's voice.

"Say, Rikku,"

"Hmmm?"

"Those wings are actually petals, right? So, it wouldn't hurt that much if someone were to pull 'em off?"

"No, not very much. But they'd take forever to grow back, considering they only grow while I'm in Macala- Owww! What the fuck ar-

_Snap_.

Gippal's hand gripped one of her wings, yanking it off completely. Instinctively, Rikku twisted, her fist connecting with his jaw. He went sprawling to the ground, but managed a smile all the same. Waving the petal-wing-thing in the air, he clutched it as he might a trophy.

"What the hell was that for, Gippal? Rikku snarled, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "After almost two years, the first thing you do is tear off one of my wings?"

"And the first thing you do is punch me in the face?" Grinning like crazy, Gippal kicked her legs, causing her knees to buckle.

"Ahhh!" Rikku fell forward, sprawling on top of Gippal. Rikku was so completely embarrassed, she didn't even breath. Blushing furiously, she ignored his body heat and breath on her face and attempted to get up. Instead, a hand slid up her back, sending shivers up and down her spine, then –

Gippal snapped off her remaining wing.

"Uurrrgh… Y-you!" Rikku lunged at him again, this time smashing him in the stomach. Gippal crumpled, retreating to a fetal position, while Rikku rose to her feet. Giving him one last good kick, she turned to Leije and took the cloak from him. "I guess I won't be needing this anymore, thanks to a certain _someone_," She shot a nasty look at Gippal's limp form. "But I'll wear it anyhow. Leije, care to escort me to Bevelle?" She smiled warmly at him, quite forgetting that she originally wasn't leaving with them.

"Of course, milady," Leije smiled back at her and slightly bowed his head, causing Gippal to groan loudly. "What should we do with him?"

"Leave him," Rikku shrugged, carelessly waving her hand. As she walked passed Gippal's body, a familiar grip caught her ankle.

"Whoah, not so fast, Cid's girl," Gippal was instantly back on his feet, like nothing had ever happened. "Like it or not, I'm coming along," He placed an arm around Rikku's bare shoulders.

Gagging in disgust, Leije was bold enough to swipe off Gippal's arm, and swiftly led the way out of Macalania Woods. Rikku giggled and glanced at Gippal, who was pretty pissed off; she left him behind and caught up with Leije.

**---**

**Bevelle Guest Chambers**

---

The group of Spirans had been moved to the Guest Chambers, a rather large room, complete with a wide screen Sphere Viewer, a few couches, and a mini bar. These particular guests had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their old Al Bhed friend.

"Why are they taking so long?" Yuna paced about the room Tidus laughed from his spot on the couch.

"Chill out, Yuna. You heard Baralai: he said they'd be here any-"

There was a click as the door to the Guest Chambers swung open. Everyone's eyes settled on the newly arrived guests.

The first to enter was the blonde haired, one-eyed Machine Faction leader, Gippal. He managed to look smug and amused and annoyed all at the same time. Well, that was normal enough. The next to enter was the man from the sphere they had viewed, Leije. A tough looking fellow, spiked brown hair, green eyes, and a warm smile. The last to enter was Rikku.

She appeared to be exactly the same as she had in the sphere, save for the cloak and the missing wings, but she was all the more stunning in plain view.

"R-r… Ri..." Yuna stumbled towards the former Al Bhed. She stared at her, a few silent tears trailing down her cheeks. Then, Yuna rose her hand and – _smack! – _gave Rolli am ear piercing slap across her face. Rikku's head snapped to the side; she was afraid to move it back to its original position, fearing Yuna's reaction. Her cousin – or who Rikku had thought to be her cousin – raised her hand again. But instead of striking her, Yuna embraced Rikku in a large hug, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Sorry I left you, Yuna," Rikku whispered, patting her on the back.

Yuna pulled back from the embrace. "What happened to 'Yunie', Rikku…?"

The blonde just sighed, her facial features filled with a pitying expression and knowledge accumulated beyond her years. "Things change, Yuna. People change." Rikku turned from her cousin and approached the others.

"How have you been, Rikku?" Tidus gave his usual boyish grin and embraced her in a 'manly' hug.

"Fine, thank you," she whispered. The rest of the group stood back smiling, truly joyful, save for Leblanc. She was happy for them, sort of, anyway.

Ruining the moment, Baralai cleared his throat. Earning a heavy glare from Rikku, he spoke: "Rikku, you know why you're here. As for the charges-"

"Couldn't we just address this later, _please_?" Yuna pleaded with the praetor.

Giving Yuna a disapproving look, he ignored the ex-summoner and continued. "Since you are a friend, or at the very least, a friend of a friend, Nooj and I have concluded to let you off with three hundred hours of community service-"

"Holy Yevon, three hundred hours?" Rikku sputtered. "You serious?" From the solemn look on Baralai's face and the pleased look on Nooj's, Rikku could tell that they, in fact, were not joking.

"Fine," Rikku hissed out after a moment. "Where shall I be of service, oh wise praetor?"

"You know," Gippal came up behind the praetor and placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning ear to ear. "We _could_ use a decent cook up there in Djose Temple."

"_Kitchen duty?"_ Rikku shrieked. "I think not!"

"Actually, that's a grand idea." Nooj limped over to them, egged on by Rikku's reaction. He was certainly not sending Rikku somewhere she actually wanted to be. This was a punishment, after all. "Thank you for suggesting it, Gippal," The Machine Faction leader's face glowed in response.

"Alright, then," Baralai rubbed his hands together. "You start tomorrow, and Gippal will get you situated. Community service will only be counted when you are actually in the kitchen. And as for you, Leije," The praetor turned to the brown haired man. "You will be assigned to supervise Rikku during her stay in Djose Temple. Make sure she doesn't sprout wings and fly off, or something."

"_Sprout wings_?" Rikku was now seriously offended. "Excuse me, but-" Gippal clamped his hand over her mouth, cutting off Rikku's flow of words.

"Baralai, I was thinking that- Ugh, Rikku!" Gippal gagged, pulling his hand away and wiping it on his pant legs. "She bit me…" He muttered to himself.

"Anyhow, I thought that since I _am _the head honcho up there in Djose, I could supervise herl I'm sure-"

"Nonsense," Leije interrupted him. "You have work to do, after all. I'm sure you won't have the time to be looking over her shoulder constantly. Leave _that _to me."

Gippal made no move to reply; he just growled in response, causing Leije's smirk to widen.

"Gippal, why don't you take Leije and Rikku over to Djose Temple. You'll have more time to settle in then; we wouldn't want to leave it all for tomorrow." Baralai suggested, although everyone knew it was more of an order. He also seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that Gippal and Leije didn't exactly get along. Or at the very least, he was putting on a good show.

"If you don't mind…" Yuna meekly stepped next to her cousin. "I'd like to come along and visit. Maybe for a day or two. I haven't spoken with Rikku for quite awhile, and we have some catching up to do."

"That'd be fine," Leije said cheerfully. "Well, let's get going then. Shall we?" He held his hand out to Rikku, which she gladly accepted.

Leije, Rikku, and Yuna were already out the door before they noticed that Gippal had not followed. This was quite odd, considering he was supposed to be leading the group. The man appeared to be deeply lost in thought, staring ahead at the wall with a curious expression etched onto his face.

"Gippal…" Yuna called out to him. "You alright?"

"Huh?" He snapped back into Spira. "Oh, yes." Gippal gave her a false grin. "Yeah, yeah… Let's get going then," He approached the group and grabbed Rikku's other arm, who immediately became very confused.

Yuna just sighed sympathetically. "Poor girl…"


	7. Welcome to Hell

Disclaimer - I don't own FFX-2

---

As soon as the trio entered through Djose Temple's halls, every head snapped in the group's direction. That was typical enough, but their lingering gape was not. All of the workers seemed to be staring at them. To be more precise, they were staring particularly at Rikku's apparel.

"Well, that was about the best play I've been to in awhile!" Leije guffawed vociferously. "And Rikku, I can't believe Tobli let you have a part! On such short notice, too. Might wanna go change out of that costume, though; looks like you're getting some stares."

Immediately the workers went back to their various tasks, embarrassed that they had made a big deal out of nothing.

"Thanks..." Rikku muttered, relieved that she wasn't going to be forced to explain her entire situation to the entire working class at Djose Temple.

"No proble-"

"Are you two ready? We don't have all day," Gippal cut in, leading the way down the corridors.

"Actually, we _do _have all day. Or whatever's left of it..." Rikku muttered, mainly to herself and Leije.

---

"You want me to clean _what?" _Rikku gaped at what Gippal called their 'kitchen'.

"You heard me."

The kitchen was grand, or it would could be, if it was in working condition. In fact, it appeared like the Machine Faction must have lived entirely off of fast food.

The beautifully tiled floors were stained with boot tracks, dirt, and Yevon knows what else. Even without analysation, bread crumbs and chip remainings hid in the corners. Cupboards were open, dishes spilled out from the sink, and the dishwasher was open. Which, by the way, Gippal had informed her, was broken. The counters were stained with what looked like some form of cheese sauce and dried raspberry jelly.

Gippal cleared his throat. "Dinner's at eight,"

"W-what?" She stuttered, but he had already left. Rikku looked around her. Cook first, clean later. She had about an hour left to cook.

"This is going to be a long, long, loo-oong job..."

---

_**One Week Later**_

---

Rikku had managed to scrub down the floor, get all of the shit off of the counters, clean out the fridge and do some serious shopping. At least the Machine Faction wasn't stingy with their cash. She had about five hours until the next meal; she had told Gippal that she'd do breakfast and supper, but lunch - no way. Too much cooking for her to take in one day. They want lunch; they can get their asses in there and make it themselves.

Now she had nothing to do, really. But she had a long ways to go, so what's better than sitting in here and pretend she's doing something, so her hours fly by a tad bit faster?

After about a half hour of sitting and daydreaming, a familiar voice rang through her head.

Gippal leaned against the door, foot tapping slightly against the tile floor. "Rikku, you actually have to be cooking something to have community service count, not loitering around in the kitchen for three hundred hours straight," He went and shook his head, 'tsk, tsk, tsk'-ing all the while.

"I just was taking a quick break, that's all! Just a one minute thing!"

"Uh-huh. One, if you want a break you can take it outside of the kitchen and two, I've been sitting here the past fifteen minutes while you've been out in Rikku-land."

"Well, _I'm _the one counting the hours, you know," she replied smugly.

"Is that right, Cid's girl? You and I both know that's Leije's job. Something that schmuck can actually do right: Count,"

---

_**Dinner, Eight o'clock**_

---

"Uh, Rikku, what _are _these?" Gippal nudged the piece of food on his plate, next to the bowl of spaghetti, smiling his dazzling smile. A pretty looking Al Bhed worker next to him nearly swooned.

"Pierogies." Rikku answered, not looking at him. She was worried that she hadn't made enough for everyone, there were so many workers! And Gippal had specifically designated today as some kind of banquet. Everyone was in the dining room - or hall, as you might call it - instead of the cafeteria.

Gippal tried the Pierogies. "Oooh, Raviolis. Why didn't you say so before, Ri?"

When Rikku ignored him, he turned to the other girl. "Say, I bet you're a pretty good cook too, huh?"

"W-why, yes... I am, at least my siblings always said I made the best chicken dumplings," the woman glowed with pride.

"I _love _chicken dumplings," he placed an arm around the woman's shoulders, causing her to shiver. Rikku's jaw slightly twitched. "When Rikku's done serving her community service, how'd you like to be our new cook, Amelia?"

"Really? Me?"

"Of course! No one would be better for the job than you," he smiled at her.

Leije leaned close to Rikku and murmured into her ear, "What a flirt...!" Just loud enough for half of the table to hear.

Gippal immediately ended the conversation with the other woman. In fact, he ignored all of the female workers for the rest of the night.

"Hey, Ri," Leije attempted to start up another conversation, the last one ending quite abruptly; with his help, of course.

"Hmmm?"

"It might just be me, but I get the feeling that Gippal doesn't particularly like me. Any idea why?" This sparked the attention of a few listeners, including Gippal, who was diligently twirling his spaghetti with a fork, pretending to be oblivious of the conversation.

"No. He's just an ass," With this comment, a few snorts across the table. (Gippal not being one of them, of course).

Gippal's eyes flickered toward her, betrayed and embarrassed; this was _his _dining room. "That's not a polite thing to say about your host," he hissed. "And I recall you being _madly _in love with this particular... ass," Gippal smirked at her shocked and embarrassed expression, much similar to his earlier one. "And you aren't the only one, I can assure you. Too bad that was a bit of a one-sided relationship, huh?"

Leije sat back and watched it all, content and faintly interested. Hey, if Gippal wanted to screw up any chance of a relationship _without _his help, that was fine with him! But it did disturb him that Rikku had once had feelings for Gippal. And she may still have had those feelings too, for he had seen that Gippal had hurt her with those words. The hurt in her face was quickly replaced with anger.

"Crid ib, Gippal! Oui keja ouincamv _fyo_ duu silr lnated," she hissed right back at him. ("Shut up, Gippal! You give yourself _way_ too much credit,"). Rikku had reverted back to her native language, one that she hadn't used in nearly two years, mainly for private issues or arguments. Although it could hardly help in Djose; the only non-Al Bhed man here was Leije.

"Just because I'm working here doesn't mean I have to bow to your every whim, you cocky, arrogant, self-absorbed-" She cut herself short when Gippal started laughing at her, grinning like an idiot, leaving Rikku utterly confused.

"Oui'na cu _faent_, Gippal...!" She slammed her silverware down and stormed off to the kitchen. ("You're so _weird, _Gippal...!")

"Remember, community service doesn't count unless you're doing something!" He yelled at her before the doors slammed shut.

---

"I _hate_ whoever put me up to this. I hate _Nooj_, I hate _Gippal_, I hate _everyone_, this _sucks_," she chucked a plate across the kitchen, which shattered into a billion little pieces of glass. "Oh, in the name of Home! Out of all the plates, I happened to pick up the only glass one left..."

To her luck, Gippal opened the kitchen's double doors (Whew! Gotta love rich temples) about a minute or two after the plate had smashed and was lying on the ground. Rikku, of course, had been in no mood to pick it up. Why was she cooking, anyhow? Why was she washing _plates? _She didn't eat off plates in Macalania! She didn't do _anything _in Macalania Woods.

Well, except wreak havoc whenever someone stepped foot into the Woods. And amusing herself by dismembering the wood cutter's machina. And totaling the machina. And placing bets on which machina would explode first.

But besides that, she didn't do anything!

"What is this...?" Gippal's eyes widened slightly.

"A plate. Or what used to be a plate, anyway."

The Al Bhed man raised an eyebrow. "Looks like someone lost their temper," he simpered.

"I did did_ not _lose my temper!" Rikkushrieked at him, unconsciously reaching for another plate. Why did he always have to check up on her, anyway?

"_Riiiight_. I'll be going now, then," Gippal veered back out through the double doors, leaving Rikku to scowl at his back.

'_It's working_,' Gippal thought to himself, as he strolled along the corridors of the temple. '_Yuna and the other's will thank me when she's back to her old spunky self. Growing up with her had some bonuses after all_.

_I can't even comprehend why she refuses to touch any piece of machina, unless it's to break it in some form or another. The old Cid's girl always wanted to help... Of course, she always would end up breaking it anyway... But I guess it's the thought that counts._' The Al Bhed chuckled out loud. _'It won't be much longer until she breaks down and fixes that damn dish washer. Which happened to conveniently break as soon as she arrived.'_

Gippal would never admit that he couldn't imagine life without the old scrawny, smiling Rikku somewhere out in Spira. She didn't have to be with him. She didn't even have to like him. She just had to be there.


	8. A Friend Forgotten

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Disclaimer: I dun own FFX-2, FFX, FFIX, FFVIII... Come to think of it, there is a lot of shit that I don't own.

Damn.

---

**Thankies to reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And there hasn't been a lot of Rikku/Gippal fluff yet - I'll get around to that eventually. And about the Rikku and Yuna reunited part... v.v yeah, I could have done better there . I think that I may have rushed through that part, and actually I'd like to redo just that part of the chapter. Don't know if I'll actually get around to it, though ..**

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Chapter Seven - A Friend Forgotten

---

Rikku stomped her foot, the noise echoing against the tile floor. The blonde had woken up - early, I might add - gotten out of bed, and headed to the kitchen. And she wouldn't have guessed what she was going to see: dishes. _Dirty _dishes. Again.

"_Fryd_? I thought I cleaned these last night!" She shook her head, face flushing from anger. '_No one has eaten yet, so how did _these _get here? Unless... Someone has been dirtying the dishes - on purpose - just to tick me off! I wonder who _that_ could be?'_

Needless to say, Rikku had a pretty good idea of who had been doing it.

"That's it. Machina fixin' time."

---

Two Hours Later

---

"Need a little help, Cid's girl?" Gippal had stopped by the kitchen - again - leaving Rikku perplexed and suspicious. What _was _he, anyway? Her personal stalker? Rikku shivered at the thought. Yeah, right. He was probably just waiting for her to do something wrong so he could tease her again.

"No, I don't," Came Rikku's reply after a moment. "I was just getting back to do a little tinkering with that _thing _you call a dish washer,"

"You mean you're not done fixing it yet?" He asked incredulously and smirked. "It's been two hours!"

"Yeah, no duh, I can tell time," Rikku sneered back at him, causing Gippal to look at her awkwardly. What? She hadn't changed that much. Had she..? "I guess I haven't had much practice. But you really screwed it up, I haven't lost all of my skills; there's just a lot of damage. "

"Whoa, whoa. Did you just say_ I_ screwed it up?" He stared at her innocently. "What makes you think I'd do something like that?"

Rikku just snorted.

"Hey, you sure you aren't up for a break? I was just about to have one myself," Gippal offered.

Rikku raised an eyebrow. Was Gippal being _nice _to her? Well, that didn't mean she had to be nice back! Not after what happened last night, anyway.

"If you insist," she said indifferently.

The two exited the kitchen, Rikku meekly following Gippal through the corridors of Djose Temple. He lead them out through the back of the temple to what looked like the 'backyard'. Strangely, it was devoid of any machina. In fact... It had a garden! _'I wonder who takes care of that! It certainly wouldn't be Gippal. ..Right? Ugh, now I've got that stuck in my head-' _Silence encompassed the garden while Rikku was left picturing Gippal down in the garden, watering the flowers and muttering how pretty they were.

"So, Rikku. . ."

"Huh?" Rikku snapped back to reality.

"How have you been?"

She paused. How had she been? Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember. She couldn't remember anything. Well, not anything important. She remembered walking into the woods so long ago... Then everything went blank. Rikku faintly remembered the trees, shadowy figures, a whispering voice inside of her head. Then, there in the woods, the most amazing thing had happened. All her worries and fears, her hopes and dreams, her wavering emotions - they vanished. Just disappeared, leaving her with this empty feeling of nothingness. And the strange thing was, that was okay with her. Rikku hadn't missed the sense of feeling, the sense of beng happy or depressed.

"Rikku?"

"Huh?" Her face flushed. "Oh, sorry Gippal. I was just thinking. I've been okay."

"What were you thinking, Cid's girl?"

Rikku stared at him. "None of your business!" Gippal didn't smile or mess up her hair or anything, he just turned away. Huh. _'I guess he wasn't playing around. He really did want to know? '_

"I was thinking about the Woods," she murmured.

Gippal's eyes narrowed. "You're going to go back there, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Rikku looked confused.

"After your done here, you're going to head off back to your little dream land. With your _friends._ Aren't you?"

"...Yes. Yeah, I am."

Gippal snorted at her and walked a little ways away. "..Figures. You're not the Rikku I remember. The Rikku I knew would have never left in the first place. She actually cared about her family, about her friends."

"Crid ib, Gippal! Oui tuh'd ghuf yhodrehk!" Rikku screamed at him. Apparently he had struck a nerve.

There was silence. Then, Gippal's portable CommSphere rang. Thankful for having a reason not to answer her, he gratefully answered it.

"Hey," Gippal answered it.

"Hey... Geppil, right?" It was that guy, Yuna's boyfriend, messy blonde hair, tan skin, bright blue eyes - the whole she-bang.

"Uh, it's Gippal."

"Oh, sorry.. I was wondering, Rikku doesn't have a CommSphere and I need to talk to her. Is she around?"

"You're not going to call _me_ whenever you want to speak with her, are you?" Gippal sounded annoyed.

"Uh, yeah. At least until she breaks down and gets one. How else am I gonna get a hold of her?"

Gippal made a mental note to make sure Rikku got one as soon as possible. "Rikku?" He handed over the sphere to her.

"Hi, Tidus," She plastered on a huge fake smile over her features.

"Hey, how you been, Ri?"

"Great! And you?"

He looked a little bothered. "Well, lonely, I guess. I tried to get a hold of Yuna a few times, but apparently something's wrong with her CommSphere. Speaking of which, how has Yuna been?"

Rikku froze. "Uh, umm, Y-yuna?"

"Yeah. Yuna," Tidus looked confused. "She left with you guys to Djose Temple. Remember? She wanted to visit with you for a little while." The blonde raised an eyebrow, looking a little ticked off. "She was supposed to be back over a week ago."

"Cred."

Tidus was speechless.

"Uh, I don't... I mean... Ohhh, man. I've really gotta go. I'll talk to you late-" Rikku stuttered out.

"Where's Yuna?" Tidus cut her off, his face serious.

Uh, well, that's the funny thing. You see, uh... She never... She's not here! Yuna never was. We must have lost her on our way... But that's really unlike Yuna, she doesn't just get lost..."

"And you didn't even notice that she was gone?"

It was Rikku's turn to be left speechless. When she failed to reply, Tidus hung up on her. "Cred, cred, cred..."

"..Rikku." Her head shot up and she faced Gippal, who she forgot was there.

"You're not the only one who completely spaced. I've had other things on my mind." Gippal guiltily looked up at her. _'Yeah, like Leije, and Rikku, and did I mention Leije?' _he thought. Rikku didn't answer him right away, she just looked horrified and guilty and worried beyond all reason.

"I..."

How could she have forgotten about Yuna? Her cousin? And for nearly two weeks? Something like that doesn't just slip your mind! She was with them on the way, but never entered the temple... Something must have made them forget she was coming with them to begin with. Rikku only knew of a few people who could do that to someone. Like they had done to her when she first entered the Woods so long ago. She hadn't even thought of her family, of her friends - not once! It was like... everything around her, the air, the sound, the pure escence of the Woods themselves had washed away every other thought that had once clouded her mind. No longer could she remember the sound of Yuna's voice, the destruction of Home, the fading of Auron, the disappearance and miraculous return of Tidus. Those memories had vanished.

_'You need to forget,' they told her. 'If you do not, you will yearn to venture out from the Woods. And then you will die._

_Remember to forget, Rikku. These Woods are not all powerful,'_

Rikku blinked back tears, remembering those fateful words. That fateful day. It was the day that she had come to understand that the Woods had created her, and as she had once said before, could easily relinquish that gift. She had exactly twenty-three years outside of the Woods, no more, no less. Her time could be divided, of course. It had been a little short notice: she had almost been eighteen the day she found out. She only had eight years left outside of the Woods. Eight! And then she was a goner.

And those idiots wondered why she was no longer her spunky self. It was a nice thought, but it was hard for her to go from cynical and pesstimistic right back to ever-cheerful. She wasn't as strong as Yuna. She knew that. Oh, she knew. Yuna had been willing to give her life to defeat Sin. There was no hope of survival for her. And she had a choice. But Rikku didn't have a choice, and she was still afraid.

"Rikku? You there?" Gippal waved a hand in front of her face. Aparrently she had zoned out while staring at him.

"Just leave me alone," She turned her back to him and started walking away.

Gippal reached for her and grabbed her shoulder. "I'd do that, but I don't think Yuna would appreciate it. She's probably out there waiting for us."

Rikku stopped. "Let's go then. Now."

"Erm..." Gippal looked at her like she was on crack. "Go where? We don't know where she got lost,"

"Macalania Woods," Rikku answered, calmly enough. Her voice had a certainty to it that even Gippal couldn't deny. She knew exactly where Yuna was.

"How... Rikku, we didn't travel through that area,"

"She's there. I know it." The girl was determined. "I'm going; you can come, but I'm leaving regardless of if you follow me,"

Gippal just grinned at her. "You can't leave unless I come with you anyway,"

"Actually, she can't leave unless _I _go with her,"

Rikku and Gippal jumped, unconciously reaching for their weapons. They both stopped short when they realised it was only Leije. (Well, at least Rikku stopped). Gippal was a little suspicious; how long had he been listening to them, anyway? Who did he think he was?

"I'm her supervisor, after all," Leije added after a moment. Rikku grinned. "Right, right." Her grin faded a bit when she remembered their job. "Well, let's get going, Leije. Gippal, are you coming? Or do you have the Machine Faction to take care of?"

"Of course I'm coming!" Gippal snarled and looked at her, disbelieving. "What made you think otherwise?" He actually had been having his doubts, but now that Leije was going...

Rikku just shrugged, and walked back into Djose Temple.

---

As for Rikku's 23 years of life outside of Macalania left...Well, las mathimaticas, mi amigos. -twitches- v.-

Rikku Adopted by her parents at roughly 3, went back to macalania at roughly 18

18 - 3 15 (C'mon, you know this!)

23 - 1 8 (Wheee! I feel so mathematically smart. o.o)


End file.
